The present invention pertains to swimming deck systems and methods for their construction.
Prior art deck systems include both freestanding and cantilever arrangements. Freestanding decks are supported entirely by the ground around the peripheral rim of the pool, and are therefore highly susceptible to tilting or dropping due to earth settlement under the deck. This is especially true where the pool site is graded, thus requiring the lower sides to be built up with fill which later settles to an even greater extent. In addition, a freestanding deck generally requires the added complexity of a waterproof expansion joint between its edge and the adjacent pool rim.
Cantilever decks have been designed with the intention of eliminating the above problems of freestanding decks. However, the effort heretofore has been only partially successful. Cantilever decks have a tendency to pivot at the pool rim, thereby frequently cracking the waterline tile that typically borders the upper inside edge of the pool walls. Due to ground settlement, the outer edge of the deck hasa tendency to drop under its own weight or under the influence of a superimposed load, thus causing the front edge of the deck to lift up. It is also possible for the back of the deck to lift up due to expansion of the ground as it absorbs water. In addition, it is not uncommon for the pool hull itself to fall or rise due to changes in the water content of the underlying ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,220, issued Apr. 23, 1963, is an example of an attempt in the prior art to solve the aforementioned problems of cantilevered decks by using an integrally formed deck and sidewall design. The problem of ground expansion was recognized and addressed by providing an air space under the deck to permit room for upward movement of the underlying earth. Integrally formed cantilever decks, however, are undesirable in that they place design constraints on the structure and are difficult to form. As will be appreciated, the present invention overcomes these and other prior art problems with a separately formed cantilevered deck and unique supporting system.